The Farmer’s Market is one of my happy places.
I love veggies, but five servings a day is even hard for me, cause eventually I get bored and that’s the moment when I reach for the not so healthy snacks. This is the first post where share some of my ways to jazz up up tomatoes, beets, carrots etc. I do read recipes and get inspiration from all kinds of sources including TV shows and blogs, or restaurants I ate at, but don’t usually stick to instructions nor am I good in recalling or writing down what exactly I did. I still hope you enjoy these and other updates from my kitchen.
Cheery-Beet-Juice
Combine tart cherry juice (yes, the organic kind costs a lot more, but also tastes so much better) and frozen or fresh slices beets in the blender with some crushed ice, and you get a tasty beverage with benefits (antioxidants, fiber, vitamins…)
Grilled-dried Tomatoes
Like the sun-dried version? I love the slow-roasted ones on the grill even more. Mine came out perfectly after being halved, sprinkled with good olive oil, sea salt, pepper and some spicy purple garlic after 5-6 hours on 190 degrees Fahrenheit on the Big Green Egg. Should work on other grills too if you can control the temperature. Used “German Lunchbox” and “San Marzano” – the latter could have stayed on longer, but I liked the different textures. Great addition to salads, pasta, as a bruschetta topping or just a sweet-savory snack.
Sauteed (even better) Grilled stuffed Zucchini-Flowers
One of my all-time favorites (but usually battered and deep-fried): These tasty edible Zucchini flowers can be stuffed with any cheese of your choice (and a little goes a long way) and the optional addition of prosciutto, a little cooked bacon or anchovies, then give them a quick toss in olive oil, salt and pepper plus a sprinkle of chili flakes and then sauté them in a nonstick skillet or even better grill them. It may take your friends a moment to get over the fact that they are eating flowers, but once they tried them once, they will ask you to make them again and again. My favorite version to date was filled with Smoked Mozzarella from Uno Allah Volta and Prosciutto di Parma, then grilled on the Big Green Egg. They are pictured last. Added benefit here was that they came with baby zucchini attached to the flower, absolutely delicious!!!
Here is a recipe for baked stuffed zucchini blossoms from “Food to Glow” which sounds very tasty.
Well, it’s time to get cooking for Day II of my HMMO. Bon Appetit – Guten Appetit.
Would love to hear from you if you tried any of these and what you think!
